Equal Rivals
by We'reTheOnesWhoWrite
Summary: Rick, Michonne and the rest of The Family are young recruits competing to be a part of the illustrious and distinguished protective squadron of the ZA, the Elite Force. Follow Richonne on this wild, fun-filled ride for six whole days. Please enjoy this slow-burn of our couple growing from competing rivals into respected lovers and leaders.
1. Chapter 1

Our first chapter comes from none other than the exemplary **thematsaidwelcome**. She has written over 20 Richonne stories and is an expert on all things that is Richonne. She starts off our story with humor and witty comebacks in the introduction of Welcome To Training.

Be sure to check out her other works on her FF page.

 **-We're The Ones Who Write**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Welcome to training**

"Alright you sons of dicks, congratulations you've made it to training. I was told that you have been hand picked by the leaders of your communities to go through this intense six day training. Those of you who make it to the end of day seven will make up the first graduating class of Elite Force ZA. Tasked to protect and uphold the laws of the ASZ, The Hilltop, The Kingdom and anything else that needs our expertise and skill. I am Abraham Ford and I'll be handling your gun training as well as basics. You'll meet your bad ass knife skills trainer, Sasha Williams later on today as well as Jesus, your hand to hand combat trainer. You must be proficient in all three skills in order to graduate. Look around you, not everyone is expected to make it. Only the best will be able to call themselves Elite Force, the rest will tuck tail and take your asses back home. Since it's the first day, I'm being nice and letting you get familiar with things before the fun starts tomorrow morning. Head over to the Main Hall and get your bunk assignments and handbook. Have a good evening folks, see you bright and early in the morning."

"Well he seems like a lot of fun."

"What did you expect Maggie?"

"I don't know Rick, maybe a little more smiles and less hardass. I mean he said it himself, we're the best in our communities, can't he seem a bit more happy that we're here?"

"He's just trying to weed out the weak ones babe, don't worry bout it too much." Glenn reassured Maggie looking around at the other faces in the group. "See anyone you recognize Rick?"

"I've seen a few of em, none of them look too intimidating."

"Hey, there's that Michonne chick, the one with the sword. I've heard about her. You ever meet her when you were up at the Kingdom, Rick?" Maggie asked.

"Nah, I've never spoken with her. Seen her take down a few walkers with that sword though. She's pretty good." Rick nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders downplaying Michonne's impressive skills. He's seen her take down three walkers at a time when he visited the Kingdom, and not even break a sweat. A small herd had found their way near the community and Rick went out to help, having to shoot a couple when his knife got stuck in the skull of one of the undead. He was so impressed with her precision, he walked over to her to tell her as much, but she walked right passed him, not even acknowledging that he was there.

"They say you've got to be well rounded to join the force. I hope she's as good with a gun as she is with that sword." Glenn said. "Or she'll be back at the Kingdom with over the top King Ezekiel and his tiger." Maggie laughed thinking about the king and his pet tiger.

"Come on guys, let's go see where we'll be sleeping." Maggie told Glenn and Rick.

"Who you bunking with Jerry?" Michonne asked him as she glanced up from the paper that had her roommate Maggie Rhee written on it.

"Some dude named Rick Grimes, from ASZ. You know him?"

"Never met him. Hopefully y'all can get along."

"Hey, you know me; if he's cool. I'm cool. If this training is as intense as Ford makes it out to be, I'll only be in the room long enough to sleep anyways, so I hope he doesn't mind my snoring."

"I guess seven days together will let you know." Michonne looked around at the other people in the main hall.

"Yeah. We'll see. Where'd they put Noah?" Jerry asked her.

"Man, they got me with 2 other dudes. I hope these rooms are big." Noah said coming up to them.

"Shit, Michonne, how'd you and Jerry luck out and only get one bunkmate?" Rosita complained. "I hope these chicks don't cause me any problems. I've heard about the ones from the Hilltop, they can be... difficult."

"Might as well suck it up buttercup. Michonne told Rosita as she placed a hand on her shoulder. "If this works out the way it's supposed to, we'll be up close and personal with all of them for a long time."

"Hi. You're Michonne right?"

"Yeah."

"I'm Maggie Rhee from ASZ, nice to meet you." She offered her hand for her to shake and Michonne took it returning the gesture.

"Yeah, nice to meet you too. So these are our new digs for the week huh?"

"Yeah. We lucked out, no bunk beds like the other girls. Hope you don't mind, I took the bed on the right."

"No, that's fine." Michonne walked to her bed and set her bag on the floor beside it. She looked around the sparsely furnished room seeing only a desk and chair as well as a dresser that was also in the room. She walked over to the desk and picked up the thick booklet that sat in the middle of the desktop.

"That's the handbook. We're supposed to read it tonight and sign it, then turn it in tomorrow."

"Hey babe, you all settled in? We're about to go grab dinner from the mess hall." Glenn said, entering the room.

"Yeah, just give me a few minutes to unpack." Maggie picked up a pile of clothes from her bed and walked them to her dresser. "Michonne this is my husband Glenn." She looked over his shoulder at the new arrival to the room. "And this is our good friend Rick."

"Hi, nice to meet you. I'm Rick Grimes." He stuck his hand out to Michonne, hoping she didn't notice the way his eyes scanned the length of her body, taking in her tight black cargo pants and fitted tank top."

"Nice to meet you too. I'm Michonne." She returned his handshake and quickly looked away from his blue eyes and to Glenn who was standing there smiling at both Rick and Michonne since neither one of them had let go of the others hand yet.

"Hey Rick, I thought you were headed to the mess hall man."

"Oh hey Jerry, yeah, I'm just waiting on Glenn." Rick answered, letting go of Michonne's hand.

"And I'm waiting on Maggie." Glenn said.

"Hey, Chonne, you met my roomie I see." Jerry grinned widely at both Rick and Michonne.

"Yeah, just now." She glanced at Rick who had a sly grin, then looked back to Jerry. "Did you get settled in alright?" She asked Jerry, giving Rick a side eye wondering why he had that smug look on his face.

"Yep. All unpacked. I'll read that handbook before bed." He pointed to the one still sitting on her desk.

"I've got mine with me. We can go over it while we eat dinner." Glenn fanned his face with the thick booklet looking smug and concerned that he was the only one who thought to bring it with him.

"Glad, y'all found the Mess Hall alright. It's pretty easy, just follow your nose to the delicious smells created by my good friend T-Dog here." Abe pointed with his thumb towards T-Dog who was standing behind the counter. "He'll hook you up with 3 squares a day, all he asks is that you bus your own tables and tell him how pretty his head is." T-Dog laughed at Abe's joke. "This table in the center of the room is for you. We have you sitting together, because you need to get to know each other. If this goes well You all will be eating and living in close quarters and we need y'all to get along. If you can't do that, then we might be cutting ties sooner rather than later."

The group stood against the wall waiting for Abe to finish his speech, watched as three newcomers walked into the Mess Hall and stood next to Abe. "Let me introduce you all to your other trainers and the infirmary doctor. This here is Sasha Williams, she heads the knife training course and is an all around badass. Don't fuck with her or she will cut you." Abe rubbed his bicep with his hand and smiled at Sasha. "Trust me, I know first hand." Sasha waved her hand at the group standing on the wall and offered a faint smile.

"This gorgeous man here is Jesus, he'll be teaching you hand to hand techniques. No matter what you think you know, you know nothing compared to what he knows. He can kick your ass fifteen different ways before you even know what hit you." Jesus just stood with his hands behind his back and nodded his head at the group.

"And this little lady is Denise." Denise waved at the group and then adjusted her glasses on her nose. "You'll see her in the infirmary. She'll be there to patch up boo boos, stitch up cuts, ice sore balls and wrap up sprained ankles. She can do way more than that if she needs to, but let's not have her need to."

He looked at the group from left to right, nodding when he got to the last one." Alright, just so you know, we always eat first." He chuckled as Sasha, Denise and Jesus walked off towards the food that T-Dog offered. "We'll see y'all bright and early in the morning. Have a good night."

"So what does the handbook say Glenn? Shit this is good." Shane said pointing with his fork at his food. "That T-Dog can burn, this is a lot better than anything I've ever had at Hilltop." He finished chewing and swallowed. "What's it say?" He asked again as Glenn starred on in disbelief of Shane's lacking table manners.

"Oh...well it says that each day starts at 6am. Breakfast from 7 to 7:45. Basic training starts at 8am and lasts till 10. Gun training starts at 10:15 and goes till 12:15. We come back here for lunch at 12:30, that lasts an hour then we go to knife training at 1:45 for two hours. Then the last training of the day is hand to hand at 4 and that lasts until 6. Dinner is served at 6:30."

"Damn. We're gonna be some tired as fuck sons a bitches."

"We do all that in one day?" Noah asked Glenn.

"Yep. You up for it kid?"

"Yeah, I've never backed away from a challenge." Noah responded.

"I'm worried about you ladies." Shane looked at Andrea, Michonne, Rosita and Tara. "You sure your delicate bodies can handle such a long day?"

"Dude, We got this." Tara motioned with her finger between her and the other ladies. You and pretty blue eyes over here are the ones who need to watch out for us. You know Andrea is practically a sharp shooter, and I've heard about what these two can do with a knife." She pointed to Michonne and Rosita.

"Oh, sounds like a challenge." Jerry said with a wide grin.

"I'm not challenging these women." Shane said. "What kind of fair fight is that? Besides." Shane looked at Rick. "I would hate to mess up such pretty faces." Michonne scoffed at his asinine statement and rolled her eyes as Rick looked on.

"What do you think, Rick?" Andrea asked him.

"I don't see anything wrong with a little healthy competition." His eyes never left Michonne's as he spoke and she didn't back down from his stare. "What do you think?" He asked Michonne.

"Competition's good. It can even be healthy. But what's the point when you're only doing it to show off or prove how big your gun is." Michonne had seen Rick before at the Kingdom when he visited and ended up helping clear a small herd of walkers. She was almost impressed until he pulled out his Colt and started firing on the walkers. She figured someone like him, would know better than to shoot when he didn't have to, he was just flaunting and she was not impressed.

"Oookay." Andrea said slowly. "What else does it say, Glenn?"

"Not too much." He thumbed through the booklet. "It says we all might not make the cut. We can't be late for anything." Everyone watched as Glenn continued to scan the handbook, looking for anything else to share with the group. "Oh shit."

"What?" Maggie asked looking worried.

"It says no fraternization while we're here."

"Really?" Noah shook his head at him.

"Hey, that's seven whole days I don't get to be with my wife. You ever seen her take down a walker? It's a complete turn on." Glenn looked over at a blushing Maggie.

"Well shit." Shane laughed. "I guess Denise really will be icing balls."

 **Day 1 of Training**

"Alright you pansy asses, lets see how fast you can climb this wall. Remember, you're a team and no one gets left behind. Once over the wall, you've got to run through the mud pit, crawl under the rope obstacle and then head over to that building over there. I need 6 heads brought back to me. As a team! When I got all 6, I'll send you over to Jesus to get hosed down before your gun training starts. There's no telling what kind of shit is in that mud."

They were in the last 45 minutes of basic training and they were all already tired from the exercises and running that they had done earlier. They heard Abe blow his whistle and they all scrambled to the wall to figure out the best way to get them all over it. They decided to lift Jerry first as a collective, then, the women went next followed by Glenn, Noah and Rick. Shane went last since he was the tallest and with a running jump was able to reach the top of the wall on his own. The rest of the group helped to pull him the rest of the way over the wall.

Abe was impressed by their teamwork and speed. They all ran through the mud pit with no problems, kicking up muddy water and clumps of wet dirt as they went through. When they got to the rope obstacle, Jerry went first, flanked by Noah and Tara so they could lift the ropes over Jerry's large body so he wouldn't get stuck in the ropes or in the thick mud that they had to crawl through. Next came Rosita, Andrea and Maggie followed by Michonne and Glenn and then Rick and Shane went last.

Once they were all done with the ropes, they made their way to the building and split up into three teams, each looking for 2 heads each. The four story building had been outfitted with booby traps. Each team had to be careful to not set off any or they would be considered dead and the rest of the teams would have to pick up their slack. Luckily past experience had taught them that working together and moving as a coordinated unit, would help them to retrieve all the heads and return them to Abe without incident, which they did, faster than he had anticipated.

"Well, shit. You pretty boys and girls even beat my time. I am grade A impressed." He clapped his hands together a few times. "Go get hosed off and I'll see you on the gun range in 35 minutes." They all gingerly walked toward the side of the building that they just came from and were greeted by the smiling faces of Sasha and Jesus.

"Alright, hands up." They stood in a line side by side and all followed Sasha's instructions and once she saw everyone's hands up, she and Jesus pressed the handles on the hoses they were holding. Jesus smiled at the sounds that the group made as the cold water hit them.

"Ugh. Is there a warm setting?" Shane asked.

"Oh hush. It's just a little water. Don't be such a baby." Sasha told him. Once they were all hosed off of all the mud and unknown bits from the mud pit and rope obstacle, they were handed towels to dry off as much as they could.

"Although I'm soaked, I feel so much better." Maggie told Michonne.

"Mud has never been something I liked, but it's a lot better than being covered in walker guts." Michonne tried to dry her hair as best she could with the towel as she spoke.

"You've been covered in walked guts?" Tara asked Michonne.

"Yeah, I thought everyone has."

"No." Maggie answered as Glenn and Rick walked up to them. "Hey Glenn, you ever been covered in walker guts?"

"Sure, Rick and I both have. You haven't?" He asked both Maggie and Tara.

Are we the only ones who haven't?" Glenn looked at Rick and then back at Michonne, who just shrugged her shoulders. Rick noticed that the cold water from the hose had made her nipples hard. He quickly looked away searching for something in the sky to focus on.

"Man, come on, we got 2 minutes to get to the range." Noah told the group as he walked off towards the large grassy area to the east of the building.

"Nice to see your nice smiling faces again." Abe boomed out. "Since it's our first time together at the range, I just want to see how well you handle a piece and how accurate your aim is. I'm not looking for perfection, but I'd hope you'd hit something today."

He motioned for them to follow him as he walked over to two long tables, filled with handguns. "Look over what we got, pick them up, hold them in your hand, caress them if you feel like it, just pick one." They all went to the tables and surveyed what Abe had to offer before picking out the best one for them. "When you got one, go find a mark in the grass and stand on it. We're gonna start with a distance of ten yards and them keep moving back until we reach a distance of thirty yards. You might find out that the piece you picked up doesn't offer the shooting power that you like at a longer distance, tomorrow I'll have you choose two, so that you've got everything you need when you need it. Later in the week we'll pick out some long range and assault rifles."

Abe watched as each person found a mark to stand on and then got into position to start shooting at the targets that were set up.

"You sure that's not too heavy for you darlin'?" Shane asked Rosita. She mumbled something underneath her breath and got into her shooting stance.

"Shoot!" Abe shouted and everyone took one shot at their wooden target. "Not bad. Lets see if we can get closer to the center with the next shot."

Only Grimes hit the bullseye.

* * *

"You're really good with that sword of yours." Rick said to Michonne as they sat eating lunch in the Mess Hall. She was across from him with Rosita to her left and Jerry to her right.

"How do you know?"

"I've seen you in action before at the Kingdom."

"You have?" Michonne thought back trying to remember if she'd ever seen him in her community before. "When were you there?"

"Some months back, I would have said something, but you seemed kind of busy…."

"Taking out multiple walkers with one swing." She finished his sentence.

"Somethang like that." He took a bite of his lunch and swallowed before talking again. "Your gun skills aren't as impressive though."

"What do you mean?" Michonne asked with raised eyebrows.

"At training earlier, you seemed to miss a lot of your targets. A little off to the left or to the right, most times. You're thinking about it too much, most likely. You need to relax more."

"I need to relax?" She pointed to herself. "If it's just an inch or two to the left or right, then I just need to correct my aim. I don't need to relax."

"I guess we'll see tomorrow then." Rick watched Michonne as she stood up from the table and walked to put her tray in the wash basin. His eyes stayed on her until she left the Mess Hall.

"She always so fun?" Shane asked Jerry and Noah who were still sitting at the table.

"She grows on you." Noah replied.

"Hey, speak for yourself dude. She grew on you." Jerry said pointing to Noah. "She's always liked me."

"How long you've known her man?" Shane asked the likable Jerry.

"A few years now, I guess."

"She got anybody waiting for her back at the Kingdom?"

"Didn't you come here with your somebody, Shane?" Rick asked him with an annoyed tone.

"I'm just asking man. It's not like we're married. Shane said lowering his voice so Andrea wouldn't hear what he had to say next. "We're just fwb is all."

"You're an ass, you know." Rosita chimed in. "For your information, she doesn't have anyone waiting for her. She's not interested in having a somebody and even if she was, it wouldn't be you." Rosita got up just as the five minute bell began to ring, signaling the end of the lunch hour.

"Damn, did all the women come with an attitude or is it just their time of the month?"

"Dude." Jerry shook his head slowly at Shane before getting up too, followed by the rest of the group headed to the next training session.

The day was long and after knife training, and hand to hand training with Jesus, the whole group was ready to just fall into bed. They shuffled slowly to the Mess Hall and ate dinner in silence because they were too tired to move their mouths for anything other than chewing and yawning. Once done with dinner, they made their way back to their rooms to grab what they needed for showers and the guys headed one way while the ladies headed to their own separate showers.

"I'm so tired I don't even know if I can make it back to my room." Andrea could feel every muscle in her body tense as she moved down the hallway after her shower.

"I'm right there with you, I've got just enough left in me to get me to my bed." Tara was two steps behind Andrea as she spoke.

"Y'all ladies, rest up good. We do the same thing tomorrow." Shane said as he walked passed them, swatting Andrea on the ass as he went by.

"Shit, Shane, can't you see I'm sore, why do you think I'm moving so slow? And how do you have so much energy?"

"That shower refreshed the hell outta me. I feel like a new man." He did a little shuffle with his feet. "I've worked you out better than this sweetheart." He winked at her when he turned around, walking backwards. "Don't tell me you can't handle this. This is nothing."

"Go to bed Shane." Andrea scoffed at him.

"Sweet dreams ladies." He told both her and Tara before he turned around and entered his bunk.

"You doing okay, Mich?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Nothing a good night's sleep can't cure."

"Okay, girl. Well I'm gonna head on to bed. You have fun brushing your teeth for thirty minutes."

"Very funny. Good night Rosita, I'll see you in the morning." Rosita left the bathroom headed to the room that she shared with Andrea and Tara. Michonne spent the next 15 minutes brushing her teeth and tying up her hair for the night. She took her time, liking the sound of silence that filled the empty communal bathroom. Her body was a bit stiff, but nothing that she couldn't handle. When she finally emerged from the bathroom, turning her head to flip the light switch off, she ran into Rick who was walking down the hall to get to his own room. She nearly fell over as their bodies collided, but his quick reflexes caught her around the waist before she could hit the floor.

"Shit. I'm sorry, Michonne. I shoulda been paying better attention."

"Oh, it's not your fault." She had instinctively grabbed onto his arm that was around her waist as he steadied her. His strong arm fit nicely in her hand and she unintentionally trailed her finger along the protruding vein that raised from under his skin. "It's so quiet, I thought I was the only one still up." She planted her feet and nudged his arms from around her, feeling a bit uncomfortable by his proximity.

"Looks like it's just the two of us." He looked down the empty hallway and then motioned with his hand for her to walk, he waited for her to take a few steps before he stepped to walk beside her. "How'd you feel about today's training?"

"I think it went good. We've got a good group here. We all seem to be taking to the training pretty well, without too many complaints." She looked at him as she stopped outside her door. "Except that whole thing about me not being a good shot." Rick chuckled and looked down at his feet, shaking his head that she was still holding onto his remark.

"It was just day one." He lifted his head and looked her in the eyes. "You'll get better. I'll make sure of it."

"See you in the morning Rick."

"Goodnight Michonne." He waited until her door was closed before walking down the hall to his own room for the some much needed rest.


	2. Chapter 2

Welcome back for our next chapter. Our recruits are getting to know each other better, and one certain, smug firearm expert has a lot to say and brag about his expertise. Brought to you by thematsaidwelcome79, she shows you how Michonne reacts to Rick's ego, and how The Family behaves around this dynamic duo's teachable moment.

Be sure to check out her other works on her FF page.

 **-We're The Ones Who Write**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Your aim needs some work**

"What's that sound?" Maggie groaned.

"It's 6 in the morning. That's the morning bell."

"Already? I swear I just laid down." She covered her head with her quilt. "Five more minutes okay." Michonne lazily got out of her bed and went over to the window, opening the curtains to allow the morning sun to drift in, she stretched her arms above her head and looked out the window to the grass covered field.

"I'm headed to the bathroom, to get first dibs on the big sink. Enjoy your extra beauty sleep, I'll wake you up when I get back." Maggie mumbled something incoherent from under her quilt. Michonne grabbed her towel and toiletry bag as well as her clothes for the day and headed out the the door.

"Hey girl, how'd you sleep last night? Can you believe it's already morning?" Rosita asked.

"Yeah, it comes pretty quick here. I slept like the dead though, I didn't even hear Jerry snoring."

"Lucky you. We did." Glenn yawned out as he came down the hall, stopping in front of Michonne and Rosita. "Where's Maggie?"

"I left her asleep in the bed. She wanted five more minutes." Glenn perked up at her response.

"Michonne, I'll give you half my breakfast if you take your time coming back to your room. I'll go get her to wake up."

"I bet you will." Rosita said to his back as he made his way down the hallway. "Open a window when y'all are done." She shouted out.

"You ready for today?" Michonne asked her as they stood in the hall, they both looked as Andrea and Tara walked up.

"You can't go to the infirmary for a hangnail, Tara."

"But why not Andrea? Won't it affect the way I shoot or hold my knife?"

"Will y'all tell her to stop being such a baby and go talk to Denise. She thinks she's hot and life is too short these days to be beatin' round the bush." Andrea started to laugh out loud. "That might of been the wrong phrase to use for you and Denise." Rosita started to laugh too.

"Really Rosita?" Tara looked at Michonne who wasn't laughing, but still shrugged her shoulders. "Whatever. Come on, let's get dressed, maybe I'll see her at breakfast."

"Man, I wanted to ask Maggie about Rick. Have y'all talked to him? That drawl of his gets my blood flowing. I wonder if I can get him to whisper my name in my ear."

"I will never understand you Andrea, or Shane." Rosita quipped.

"I need to brush my teeth." Michonne grumbled, not wanting to be part of the conversation anymore. She followed after Tara into the bathroom to get ready for the morning.

* * *

"I don't know if this coffee is just really good or if I just need the caffeine."

"Did Jerry keep you up last night, Grimes?" Noah asked him, looking at the bags under his eyes. "I forgot to mention that he snores when he's really tired."

"That would have been nice to know last night."

"I slept like a baby." Shane chimed in. "Damn, this is some of the best gravy I've ever tasted. What the hell did T-Dog put in it?"

"You might want to go easy on the biscuits and gravy, Shane. We have that damn obstacle course again today." Tara said to him.

"Don't you worry bout me. I get up the wall by myself anyways."

"Yeah, but we have to pull your ass over it."

"There they are." Noah said out loud as Maggie and Glenn walked into the Mess Hall.

"Y'all better hurry up, you got 15 minutes before we have to be out there."

"That roll in the hay better of been worth it." Shane said quietly to the table looking on as Maggie and Glenn quickly grabbed breakfast and came to the table to eat.

"It's always worth it isn't it, Rick?" Andrea asked him. He just continued to drink his coffee and looked over to Michonne who was getting up from the table to head outside. Rick never answered Andrea's question.

* * *

"Alright, I want you all to grab two handguns from the table today, you'll be picking the best one out of the two you pick. Starting today, you will have two weapons on you at all times. Whatever you pick today, will be what you use for the duration of the training, so choose wisely."

The basic training course went well that morning and they even shaved a few seconds off their time. Abe assured them that tomorrow would be harder and more strenuous, so none of them got too excited about a faster time. They were now at the range getting ready for gun training, something that they all looked forward to because it allowed their body's to rest while the other group was shooting. They all walked to the table and chose the handgun that they had the day before and then took some extra time to select the second one, since whatever they picked would be what they carried for the rest of the week.

"Look at that." Rosita tapped Michonne with her elbow and jutted her head towards Rick. "Pretty boy brought his own gun, it's called a Colt Python."

"How do you know what it's called?"

"I was talking to Glenn and Maggie earlier, they told me he never goes anywhere without it. He had to talk Abe into letting him use it though." Rosita took a deep breath before continuing. "Since he's the best shot in the class, Abe let him carry it. I guess, like he's letting you carry your sword."

"More like teacher's pet." Michonne scoffed. "Beside, there's no way they're separating me from my katana."

"Look how he holds it." Andrea added, listening to Rosita's and Michonne's conversation. "I wonder if he holds his other python like that." She whispered the last part and pointed towards her crotch. Michonne and Rosita just shook their heads and tucked their second firearm into the back of their pants and walked off.

"Alright let's start with the ladies today. Gentlemen just stand back and watch until it's your turn." Abe looked over to the guys and waited until they were situated out of the way before he yelled for the women to start shooting.

"Maggie is pretty good, Glenn." Noah said to him after the women had been shooting for about ten minutes. "Did she teach you how to shoot?"

"Very funny kid."

"Damn, I love this view." Shane shook his head as his eyes swept side to side over the backsides of the women, all in their shooting stances. "Except for Maggie, Glenn. I skipped over her ass."

"Dude."

"Jerry, you can't tell me you haven't feasted your eyes on the gloriousness of Michonne's and Rosita's ass all this time that y'all been at the Kingdom."

"I can honestly say that I haven't. They are pretty, but not really my type. I like my lady to have a bit more weight on em." Jerry rubbed his belly. "She's gotta be able to handle all this."

"Really Jerry?" Noah looked at him quizzically. "The only thing I've ever seen you snuggled up on is a cobbler."

"What can I say, I have a thing for sweet and warm things."

"You know who's not sweet or warm?" Shane asked, not waiting for an answer. "That damn Michonne. I tried to talk to her this morning and I swear she just looked right through me."

"It's not you, it's her." Noah told Shane. "She doesn't like anybody."

"She likes y'all." He pointed to Jerry and Noah. "And I even saw her talking to this curly headed son of a bitch before." He pointed to Rick. "What's her problem with me?"

"I don't know dude. But I will say this; her bullshit detector works overtime and it is always right." Rick smiled at Noah's answer and then focused his attention to Michonne, still in her shooting stance, noticing how her sword bounced off her ass each time she took a shot. He could see that she was hitting the target, but missing the bullseye. After twenty minutes, the guys stepped up to their marks and took their turns shooting while the ladies looked on.

"I think my finger is busted." Tara placed her finger in front of Andrea's face and wiggled it around.

"Your finger's fine Tara. You just want an excuse to go see Denise." Tara started to blush. "And after you do, keep that finger away from me." Andrea smiled at her blushing friend. They were all reloading their clips waiting for their next turn up to their wooden targets. With Eugene's ability to manufacture any type of bullet they needed, they would never be low on ammunition, and Abe wanted them to practice all they could in order to get as accurate as they possible.

"Damn, Glenn looks so good out there. Did that handbook say what the consequences for fraternization were? I might need to find a secret place around here to show him how hot he looks right now."

"Didn't y'all just do your thing this morning?" Rosita asked Maggie.

"Does it matter? He looks good now." Maggie smiled as she watched Glenn put each bullet into his target.

"So...does Rick always wear those boots, Maggie?" Andrea asked trying to get her to stop thinking about her husband.

"I've never seen him without those old dusty boots."

"He looks really good in those jeans too. The way those bowed legs of his walk around here all commanding and shit."

"Are you ever not lusting over a guy?"

"What's the fun in that, Rosita? We've got a lot more days and I want to do something else besides train all the time. We all can't be like saint Michonne over there, and not give a shit about the opposite sex." That remark earned her a side eye from Michonne. "And don't think I haven't noticed the way you look at Abe, Rosita." Andrea pointed towards the red haired trainer. "That is one big ass tree, that I'll leave you to climb."

"You think I've got a chance?" Rosita asked looking over a Abe.

"Alright ladies, you're back up!" Abe shouted as the guys walked to where the women were standing, they traded places and the guys started to reload their weapons. The women stood on their marks and began shooting again, as the guys looked on in between reloading and talking about how their aim was off.

"I love Maggie with that thigh holster." Glenn gushed.

"Rosita looks good in hers too." Shane echoed, rubbing his hands together. Rick noticed that Tara, Andrea and Michonne didn't wear the thigh holster, but Tara used one around her waist.

"Grimes!" Abe yelled for Rick to come over to him.

"Yes, Sir?"

"You're my best shot. Can you go and help Michonne with her aim? Give her some pointers or something. I'd hate for her not to pass gun training will her skills with that sword."

"Yeah, I can do that." Rick looked over at Michonne for a few minutes before walking back to the ammunition table, which also held the holsters and extra clips. He picked up one of the thigh holsters and walked over to Michonne who was standing looking down the field at her target.

"You know, I think I see what your problem is." He stood in front of her, blocking her view of the target.

"I don't have a problem, Rick."

"No, you don't." He took a deep breath and then started to talk again. "I think I see a way to correct your aim." He waited for her smart remark and when one didn't come he continued. "You're used to having just your katana on your back." He made sure the safety was engaged on the firearm in her hand before continuing. "You're holding this one fine." He said about the glock she was holding. He placed his hands on her hips and snaked them around her until he was touching the 9mm that rested in the back of her waistband. "I think this one, is throwing you off." Her pants were tighter than he thought and wouldn't allow him to just yank the gun out, so he had to place his left hand on her ass so his right hand could gently ease the firearm free. She gave him a surprised, but nonchalant look. "Without your sword knocking against this gun, you should have better aim."

"Where am I supposed to put that one?" Rick was on his knees in front of her as she finished her question, opening her legs for better access as he started strapping on the thigh holster.

"This holster will hold it just fine." He took his time adjusting the straps, running his hand over her toned, thick tantalizing thighs, making sure they weren't too tight. She looked on impressed by his audacity and kind of annoyed by his thorough handling of such a simple task. "How does that feel?"

"It feels fine. Thank you." With the holster and gun secure Rick stood back and watched as Michonne took aim and shot at her target again. Her aim was still a little off, but she was closer that before. She looked back at him with a frustrated look. "I don't know if the holster solved the problem."

"You'll get it, Michonne. Take your time."

"I don't know Rick. You're the best shot in the class, but you suck as a teacher." Hearing her critique of him, he stepped closer to her, his chest almost touching her back, he could smell the sweet scent of her hair when he inhaled.

"Alright. Let's try this." He placed his hands on her hips adjusting her stance slightly. Then he moved his right arm to rest next hers, keeping his left hand nestled on her hip, dipping his head to get to her eye level. "Just relax." His whisper was soothing and deep in her ear. "Focus on your target and where you want the bullet to go. Don't force it. Just let it happen, Michonne."

She brought her left hand up to grip the gun as well and with a deep breath she pulled the trigger, hitting the bullseye. "You see. You did it." She gave him a faint smile as she nodded and prepared to shoot again. Rick backed up to let her work while slyly admiring the view from where he stood.

"Have you decided on your primary weapon?" Tara asked Andrea as she holstered her Beretta and held her glock.

"I think I'll go with this Glock 19. It's not as long as the Sauer, but I like how it feels in my hand." She looked over at Rick.

"How many inches is the python, Rick?" Andrea asked with a wink to Tara.

"Too many for you to handle." He replied before handing his Colt to Michonne for her to practice with. After shooting and hitting the bullseye ten times in a row, Rick thought Michonne might want to try his personal firearm. "This one is a little longer than you're used to, and will feel heavier in your hand, but I have no doubt that you can handle it perfectly." Michonne took the Colt in her hand, lined up her shot by looking down the long barrel and pulled the trigger. "Look at that. You knew you could handle it."

* * *

"I'm pretty sure Sasha hates me."

"What makes you say that Rosita?" Noah asked

"The way she looks at me. I'm always getting an eye roll and a frown."

"Maybe because you keep eye fucking Abe." Andrea pointed out.

"Are they together?"

"I don't know. I guess you'll find out if you keep it up."

"Say it ain't so, I think she's really starting to warm up to me." Shane took a shallow breath. "Man, I think that Jesus dude bruised my rib." He adjusted in his seat trying to get more comfortable.

"That's what you get for showing off."

"Well we can't all be barroom brawlers like you, Rick."

"You gotta get used to moving your body more." Tara told the group. "Jesus is really good at that. I swear he's missing bones or he's made out of jelly or something."

"I wonder if they'll have jelly at breakfast tomorrow."

"Jerry, always with the food, why don't you finish dinner before you start thinking about breakfast."

"All this training is working up my appetite. Hey did you see that axe that Sasha had during training? I wonder if she'll let me use it tomorrow. I would look so badass with that thing."

"All you can do is ask Jerry." Michonne told him.

"Hey where did Glenn and Maggie run off to?"

"She said something about trying to find a place for them to get it in, if you know what I mean."

"I know exactly what you mean, Andrea." Shane winked at her. "You ever feel like finding a place like that, you let me know. You too, Rosita."

"Eww. I'll pass. You kind of smell like overrun woods and frogs."

"Hey what's wrong with smelling like you've been working hard all day."

"What do I smell like?"

"You always smell like cobbler, Jerry." He smiled at Michonne knowing there was some truth to what she said.

"Yeah, yeah. My offer still stands." Shane said to Rosita.

"I'm going to take a shower. Catch y'all later." Rosita told the table.

"Hey, wait for me." Tara got up with her tray. "I'm gonna have Denise look at my finger. It's still bothering me." She winked at Andrea before walking off.

"Yeah, I'm out too. I need to get my foot wrapped before Tara puts her mack moves on the doctor." Noah got up and rushed to drop his empty tray off so he could beat Tara to the infirmary.

"What do you say, we go explore the building, Andrea?"

"I'm down if you are." She and Shane got up and left the Mess Hall headed to find a secluded spot for a rendezvous.

"Say Michonne, you alright?"

"I'm fine Jerry. Why do you ask?"

"I'm about to head out too. Need to get my beauty sleep." He stood up from the table. "I'm leaving you in the capable hands of Rick."

"I don't need to be in anyone's hands, Jerry."

"I know you can take care of yourself." Jerry walked off towards the wash basin leaving Michonne and Rick by themselves.

"Do you always give people a hard time, or is it just me?"

"You think I give people a hard time?"

"Very much so. Except your people from the Kingdom."

"I've known them a long time. We've been through a lot together." She looked around the empty Mess Hall. "I trust them with my life."

"Isn't that why we're here though? To get to know each other, learn to trust each other?"

"We are, but it's only the second day of training. You can't expect me to just fall all over you." She chuckled a bit. "I think Andrea has that covered."

"I'm not interested in anyone who feels the need to fall all over me. I'm just trying to get to know you better Michonne."

"Who are you interested in Rick? I thought we were all here to train to become part of the Elite Force."

"We are. I am… I'm not interested in anyone. Can't I just get to know you some?"

"How bout this? Since you helped me out today, if you do well in knife throwing tomorrow, I'll let you get to know me better, you can ask me whatever you want."

"That's all I have to do? Throw a knife at a target?"

"Yeah. That's all you have to do." She stood up from the table to take her tray to the wash basin. "Oh, and Rick, I appreciate your help today." He smiled at her hoping they were turning a corner. "But don't ever touch me again."

Rick watched her walk out of the Mess Hall, stunned by what she had just told him, but figuring that by this time tomorrow he would know just about everything he wanted to know about Michonne.


	3. Chapter 3

This chapter is brought to us by none other than **Isisnicole** , who's no stranger to action when it comes to Richonne. She brings us day three of training, that has the team learning knife throwing skills to add to their arsenal of weaponry. Not only does the competition continue, we also find out how important it is to focus on the right thing when you need to hit your target.

Please be sure to check out her other works on her FF page.

- **We're The Ones Who Write**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Sticking it to you**

"Good Morning everyone. Today we are going to work on knife throwing. Michonne will be assisting me today. As you may all know guns are great at taking an enemy down, but they are noisy and bring extra attention that you don't want. So having a reliable knife on you can help save your life," Abraham's loud voice cut through the mornings light fog that blanketed the grounds of the practice field. Abraham paced in front of the still recovering group. The two days of grueling practice was already taking its toll on some. Aching muscles and sleep deprivation shone on everyone's faces. Tara was still running to the infirmary for every little ailment and flirting with Denise.

He paused his pacing directly in front of Michonne making steady eye contact with her as he continued "I'm going to let Michonne take the lead on this training and Sasha is going to be her helper. She is the most disciplined amongst you when it comes to handling a blade. So I want you to pay close attention and not muck this up," Abraham stepped away from the group as he called over his shoulder "Alright Michonne you're up."

Michonne pushed herself from her seated position and walked to the front of the group Sasha following. Her eyes swept across everyone's face and body postures making a mental note on who seemed open to the lesson and who would be a possible problem. She quickly found her problem student. Rick Grimes.

Rick was seated on top of the wooden picnic table his head bowed as he stares at his boots flicking bits of dirt off. Rick was a little miffed at the off-handed compliment Abraham gave to Michonne. The samurai sword strapped to her back did not automatically make her the Wikipedia of knives he thought inwardly. He quickly went over the countless times that his quick skills with his bowie knife got him and others out of a tight situation. Michonne loudly cleared her throat to draw his attention away from his well-worn brown boots.

"So the most important survival skill that we have learned to master for the most part is stealth. Being able to quickly to move from place to place quietly could mean the difference between you getting pinned in by a small group of walkers or easily sneaking past them."

Shane raises his hand "What does stealth have to do with knife throwing?" he scoffed.

"Your knife is your best weapon as you are retreating from a hostile situation. If you can take a walker out by stabbing it in the skull to avoid the noise of you lets say, firing a Python, then I highly recommend it." Michonnes eyes swept over everyone till she landed on Rick.

Rick looked up his mouth turned up into a smirk as he caught the not so subtle comment. Andrea placed her hand over her mouth to cover her giggle at the loaded diss. Rosita poked her in her side to shut her up.

"Burn," whispered Glenn to Noah who just smirked keeping his eyes focused on Michonne.

Michonne continued speaking her eyes leaving Ricks amused face. "Knives are also effective when dealing with other people. A knife thrown properly can immobilize a human threat quickly. Does that answer your question, Shane?" She narrowed her eyes at him daring him to challenge her.

Shane adjusted his stance as he nodded his head. Glenn leaned in as he whispered to him "I guess you just blew your chance."

"Shut your ass up," he said whispered through clenched teeth.

Rick shook his head at his friend's horrible attempt to impress Michonne, but he understood why. Michonne was quite an eyeful. Ricks' eyes traveled up and down her svelte form. Her pants hugging her supple bottom and her tank top covering her ample sized breasts. He tried to refocus his attention back on the lesson she was teaching. Michonne who was speaking about proper kill moves on a walker that won't cause your blade to get stuck. "Eyes, back or side of the head, are effective takedown spots for walker and you are less likely to lodge your blade." She demonstrated each move on an invisible walker. Her muscles tensing as she showed the amount of force necessary to lodge the blade effectively. Yeah, she was an eyeful, and he was drinking in every curve.

"The first thing we are going to work on is proper handling of a blade and strike movements. Like Abe said earlier Sasha is going to be helping with today's demonstration. I'm going to break everyone up into two teams. I will take one and Sasha the other but before we do that let's go over the basics."

"Grimes," she called. Rick brought his attention away from gawking at her firm buttocks and back to her face where Michonne was looking intently at him "Can you come up here please and demonstrate proper knife holding."

Stepping down from his position on the table Rick walked towards Michonne his eye remaining focus on her. He was so focused on her that he didn't see the small knife that she held in her hand. She placed her hand up to stop his determined march. She motioned downward with her eyes towards the sharp instrument that he almost impaled himself upon. Rick stared at the medium sized knife, his neck flushing slightly at the thought that he nearly injured himself by being cocky and careless. Michonne continued speaking her voice giving no indication of the possible mishap. She moved around him as if the short encounter didn't happen.

"Now the best way to hold your knife is with the blunted edge toward your palm. You will keep the pointed end against the base of your thumb and your thumb on the side of the blade. Proper hand position is crucial. We are going to have Rick demonstrate proper handling and release a few times. So make sure you are paying attention especially you, Andrea."

"What did I do?" exclaimed the blonde who not a moment ago was openly ogling at Rick's backside as he stood in his current spot on the field waiting. Michonne raised an eyebrow at Andrea's feigned offense.

"Rick go ahead throw the knife."

Rick twirled the fixed blade in his hand as he walked to the white chalk line drawn in the dirt. In front of him was a wooden planked target with a bullseye clumsily drawn into the center. Rick lined up his aim holding his right arm out straight, bringing his arm back he snapped his arm forward his body leaning into his throw. The blade sailed through the air and landed with a loud " _thunk_ " before crashing to the ground.

Intakes of breaths followed by "ohhs" and "damn" could be heard from the spectators. Rick placed his hands on his hips and hung his head. Not willing to be made to look like an amateur Rick asked Michonne for another blade. Michonne pulled a second blade from her leg harness and handed it to him.

"There is no quick trick to knife throwing. It will require constant practice to perfect your stance and release," she announced to the onlookers as Rick lined up his next throw. Michonne turned quickly and threw two blades in rapid session each embedding deeply into the targets center marks. Rick gawked at the two impaled knives. He was not going to be outdone by Michonne and her fancy knives. Straightening his posture and fixing his shoulders back as he blurted out.

"I'm not used to throwing this types of blade. I can do that with my knife," her said patting his strapped Bowie knife.

"It's not about size, Rick."

"Sometimes it is."

Michonne tilted her head to the side a bit a small smirk on her lips "Well, please show us what your 'big' knife can do," she waved her arm out towards the target giving him the go-ahead to demonstrate what he can do with his knife.

Rick pulled his knife from the harness. The large Bowie knife glinted in the sunlight as Rick twisted it in his hand showing off the sharp edge and pristine condition.

"Now that's a knife," said Jerry in a horrible Australian accent that was a mix between cockney English and god knows what else. The atrocious accentuation earned Jerry a few groans from Glenn and Noah.

"What?" Jerry questioned.

"Well, I must say that is a big knife," Michonne jested.

"You damn right it is," Shane shouted. Michonne looked over her shoulder at Shane who was grinning in Michonne direction. Michonne rolled her eyes dramatically as she returned her focus back to Rick.

Glenn leaned into Shane whispering "Man, I think you need to just give up because you are just digging yourself a deeper hole. She's just not into you." Shane crossed his arms scoffing at Glenn's accurate but unwanted comment.

Michonne continued her challenging tone prickling at the back of Ricks neck. "…but do you really know how to use it." Rick half smiled at the apparent challenge that was being made.

"Let's have a little friendly competition. Michonne versus Rick," Sasha stated. Her voice breaking up the stare down between the two alpha figures.

"What does the winner get?" queried Rosita.

"Hopefully a moment in the dark with the big knife," muttered Andrea but her statement was a tad bit too loud, and she drew confused stares from Rosita, Sasha, and Tara.

"What did you say?" probed Rosita. Her eyebrows raised at the bold lustful statement the overly pushy blonde muttered.

Andrea face flushing at the slip of speaking her thought out loud "What?"

Ignoring Andrea's clear mistake, Rosita spoke again "Back to what I was asking. What does the winner get?"

"The winner and 'her' group get the dessert of the losing team," Sasha explained.

Shane picked up on the slight towards him and the other guys hurriedly interjected "Hold up. What do you mean "her"? Rick is going to spank that pretty behind of Michonne's with no problem."

Jerry sheepishly raised his hand as he expressed his current concern about the competition "Can I exclude myself from this because tonight's dessert is cobbler and I don't want to risk it. Sorry, Rick but it's peach cobbler man." Jerry knew how good Michonne was with a knife and that she could easily wipe the floor with Rick. Rick nodded his head understanding that Jerry would want to stick with his community when it came to this friendly wager.

"I have no problem with that. Do you?" Rick said.

"None whatsoever. When do we start?"

Sasha spoke up again "Let each person warm up for about 2 minutes before we start. Deal?"

Rick and Michonne each nodded their heads in agreement.

"Cool. You both have your own target to practice on," Sasha waved her hand out towards each target.

Michonne and Rick went to their separate spots in front of their targets. Realizing that her blades were still lodged in the other target, Michonne turned to retrieve them but she stopped when she saw Glenn retrieving her blades and happily jogging towards her and placing them in her hands. Michonne nodded her thanks, and Glenn hurried back to his spot next to Shane and Noah.

Shane hissed "Traitor."

"Hey don't talk to him like that," Maggie blurted, her eyes shooting daggers at Shane.

Shane held up his hands "My bad."

"Alright, your 2 minutes starts… Now," Sasha announced.

Ricks first throw lodged into the wooden target, but it was way off center.

"Come on man," Shane yelled throwing his hands up in frustration.

Rick was distracted by the rapid sound of Michonne's knives landing successfully in and around the target. He fought to keep his eyes on his own target and not look at hers. She had landed three successful throws to his one.

"Keep your head in the game man, don't let her psyche you out," Shane called out.

Rick relaunched his knife towards the target this landing hilt first and falling to the ground. Cursing under his breath, Rick brought his finger to the bridge of his nose squeezing the small pressure point tightly.

"Here let me help you. I don't want you to make it too easy for me," said Michonne her voiced parroting Ricks cool timbre from yesterday when he helped her with her aim "Your stance is all wrong, and it's causing your throw not to have enough force behind it."

Michonne took position behind Rick and began adjusting his leg stance and arm position. Making sure to grasp firmly along his muscular legs and arms. Taking her time sliding her hands along the parts of his body that she adjusted. Rick cleared his throat as his face lightly flushed and his skin tingled every time she touched or grasped him.

"Hey…Hey… she is cheating! She is getting my man all worked up. He won't be able to throw a damn thing straight with his wood leaning to the left," Shane boomed as he jumped from the table taking a few steps toward the pair till Glenn reached out grabbing him by his arm.

"Chill out man it's not that serious."

Rick inwardly groaned at his friend embarrassing him even if he was correct in his observation. The growing push in his pants was definitely going to be a distraction. Rick said a silent prayer of thanks for wearing his more constraining boxer briefs which were helping to keep his growing problem under wraps.

"I'm sure Rick can handle the… small adjustments I made," said Michonne. Her bright brown eyes glinting mischievously.

"Yeah. I can handle it."

"Good," she said as she sauntered back to her spot. Michonne was not using her womanly wiles to confused Rick, but his mind imagined that she was tossing her hips from side to side just for him.

He cleared his throat as he tried to will his mind to erase the mental image of Michonne's firm apple bottom shimmying in her tight pants. Rick took his position behind the line the target in his field of vision. He rolled his shoulders and neck loosening up the suddenly tense muscles. He was ready. Lining up his aim. His arm was straight and his knife was position in his hand ready to take flight. Rick pulled his back arm and launched it towards the target. He watched his blade sail through the air and embed itself into the wood a little off center but it was there and it held fast. Yes, his mind roared at his success but triumphant soon turned to a warm wetness and pain in his hand. Confused on why his hand was hurting Rick turned his left hand over to see the cause of his pain. A long and possibly deep cut to the center of his palm.

"Shit," he said as he sunk to his knees already applying pressure to the wound. The chaotic sound of everyone rushing to help him was drowned out by the pain.


	4. Chapter 4

Isisnicole is back with the next chapter. Rick is in the infirmary with an injured hand and some much needed pain meds. Let's find out what happens when his mind starts to drift. Will he be able to keep his head in the game to finish strong?

Be sure to check out her other works on her FF page.

-We're The Ones Who Write

* * *

Chapter 4

It was evening and the dusk of the day was quickly turning to night. Rick was laying atop the makeshift hospital bed. Which was just an extra-long twin bed with simple bedding. Denise had left over an hour ago to go get some extra bandages from the storage pantry but Rick had a sneaking hunch that she was off somewhere with Tara.

Rick groaned at the sight of his bandaged right hand. His careless mishap earned him numerous jeers from Shane and a few others, he took the comments in stride because he felt just as dumb as they had made him out to be.

He tried to recall what could have happened. His stance was perfect. His trusted Bowie was resting in his hand correctly and his eye was on the target. As his mind replayed the few seconds before the tip of his knife cut into his palm the reason for his error flashed before his eyes. Michonne. Just as he was about to release an image of her smiling face flashed in front of him momentarily distracting him leading him to let go of the blade too late as the always sharp tip sliced through his skin.

He had fallen down to one knee. Michonne was the first person to his side. The cause of his distress was now acting as his savior as she pulled a bandana from her back pocket applying it roughly to his open wound. She apologized as she heard his intake of hissed breath that escaped his clenched teeth.

After that, it was a blur. Now he was laid up in the infirmary alone with his hand bandaged up all because he let himself get distracted by a firm behind in tight jeans. Why did she have to be so damn sexy? Maybe it's just been a long time since he had been drawn to someone and his mind got the better of him. Whatever the reason he paid the price.

Rick adjusted his position on the semi-comfortable foam bed. The pain pill Denise gave him earlier was doing wonders for his pain. The warm floating feeling relaxed his muscles as well as his mind. Soon what could only be described as an illusion of Michonne appeared in front of him. She was in the same tight dark jeans and a black halter tank top she had on earlier that day. She stood at the foot of the bed just staring at him. Her dark browns eyes studying his elevated supine position.

"What do you want?" his voice was rough and slurred from lack of hydration. It echoed in his ears. Her image didn't answer it just floated around the bed until she was standing near the top of his head.

"Michonne?" Rick rubbed his eyes against the illuminating glow that was emanating from her.

The apparition smiled at him a dazzling smile.

"Are you here to make me feel better?" He tried to adjust his position to face her and his head began to swim as the room floated around him from the sudden movement. He slowly returned to his previous position placing a hand over his abdomen hoping to stop the rolling of his stomach. As the dizziness began to dissipate he tried once again to face the ethereal figure hovering near his head. He knew what he was seeing wasn't real but he was willing to see how things played out.

"So are you going to answer me?" It was a stupid request, of course, she wasn't because this wasn't real. He didn't know how or when he had come to that realization but if the glow off of her resplendent body wasn't the first hint, the hooded lustful look in her eyes that he'd been wishing to see for as long as he could remember certainly sealed the surreal feel of the moment.

There was no answer. The vision climbed onto the bed straddling his waist. Vision Michonne's eyes had an ethereal luminescence that Rick felt the weight of the vision as she settled into place over his groin. He exhaled as the phantom weight sent a wave of warmth up his body.

"Why won't you talk to me?"

The hallucination slid over his groin, no words spoken its gaze fixed on him as it came to rest atop his upper thighs. He knew she wasn't actually there, but his body reacted to every movement and imagined scent. The assumed smell of fresh strawberries filled his nose. Its sweet aroma seemed to emanate from Michonne. It was the scent he imagined she smelled like. Although their interaction has always been brief, he always pictured her a being soft and yielding behind closed doors.

Her rough exterior melting away as soon as they were alone. Michonne undressing for him. She grabbed the end of her tank top seductively pulling it over her head. Her full breasts sat upright in her black satin bra, or maybe she doesn't wear a bra. He really didn't know, but the idea of the satin bra pleased him. The color against her tawny skin seemed to glow. His pants bulged with his erection. At least the medication didn't render him unable to physically enjoy this pleasurable hallucination.

He unzipped his pants reaching in and pulling his semi-erect member free. Michonne smiled at the movement. This is all based on what he would want if he were ever so lucky to have her. So having her smile at the appearance of his dick would make his chest swell with pride.

Rick stroked himself as she continued to smile at him. The thought of her tugging on her breasts formed in his mind and soon she immediately mirrored the thought. Her hands reached up to cup both of her breasts and use her long fingers to caress the top cup of the bra.

"Take it off."

She coquettishly lowered her gaze as she reached behind her back unhooking her bra. The fabric falling from her chest dissipating like mist into the air surrounding her. His mind pictured full breasts with a subtle droop, large mocha areolas with protruding nipples. The kind that any grown man would love to suck on like a starved child. His mouth watered despite its dryness. His grip tightened on his now fully erect penis. The first glistening drop of fluid spouting from its fathead. He drew his thumb across his slit collecting the sticky fluid coating himself in it. The increased slickness made it easier for his hand to pump in a more steady rhythm.

She sat waiting for Ricks mind to imagine something else. Soon her hands were squeezing her breasts again focusing more on the nipples with a rhythmic twisting and tugging at the sensitive buds. Her head fell back as an otherworldly moan escaped her lips. Would Michonne moan like this? Who cares Rick thought. It was his fantasy, and he was going to enjoy her. His speed increased as he chased his release while his fantasy girl sat moaning on his legs with her glorious breasts on display. He was sure to find his sweet climax. Rick's mind began to reel as his blood circulated faster through his body sending more of the pain medication flowing to his brain. His eyes drooped as the lethargic effect of the medication began to take hold. Shaking his head roughly to clear the fogginess. He planned to see this to the end medication be damned.

The image of Michonne began to wane in appearance from solid to translucent as it became harder for him to remain focused.

"No… stay with me... just a little longer," he grunted still pumping himself. Sliding his hand over his pink head, the tingle of his nerve endings shooting down to his balls causing them to jerk in response. Almost there he thought. She began to rock her lower body in time with his hand movements. The fast erratic pelvic thrusts causing her breasts to jiggle and swing. He would love to take one of her nipples into his mouth and nibble at the supple flesh. The electric tingling pull of his orgasm suddenly began to die down. Fuck he muttered. The medication was numbing every part of his body. .

"No...No... Not yet," he protested his mind was becoming even heavier.

Grabbing his cock roughly trying to maintain some feeling. He squeezed it tightly. It swelled to a bright red color from the applied pressure. He cursed under his breath again. At least he could still feel a little bit of that. Mind fogging over and still gripping his dick tightly Rick took his still swollen member and slammed it against his bandaged hand hoping to get some feeling back. The feeling Rick got was not what he wanted or expected. Red-hot pain shot through his hand, up his shoulder right through the fog of his brain shocking him into clear, painful awareness. His scream was a colorful mixture of swear words and bellowing. He was thankful he was in the infirmary by himself. The last thing he needed was for Denise to come barging in to find him in bed dick hanging out clutching his hurt hand. It wouldn't take a genius to figure out what he was doing to cause his pain.

Rick chest rose and fell in deep heavy breaths as the pain of his hand continued to throb, and small splotches of blood appeared across his bandage. Raising his body to prop himself up on his elbows. He looked around the moonlit room hoping she was still there, but his fantasy was gone. He glanced down at his dick now a withered mess equally disappointing and disappointed.

At the same time that Rick was nursing his hurt hand and ego, Michonne was in the communal bathroom enjoying the peace and quiet of her hot shower. Her body ached from the long day, and her mind was troubled over the injury Rick sustained. Her mind kept replaying the entire chaotic scene as she stood under the stream of water. It was the sharp intake of breath and the loud curse he uttered that drew her attention first. She remembers the cold chill that traveled up her spine. She knew that the sounds of distress he was making meant something terrible had just happened. When she turned around, he was applying pressure to the center of his hand, but she could already see the blood flowing heavily through his fingers. Acting quickly she pulled her black bandana from her rear pocket and placed it over the wound, applying more pressure. She kept her eyes focused on his hand, but she could still feel the heat of his eyes against her face. She didn't dare look at him at that moment for fear of what his eyes would say to her. Would they show anger...fright? Who knows, but at that moment in time she didn't want to see the possible emotions in his eyes.

She and a few others helped to carry Rick to the infirmary where Denise was already prepared for him as Noah had run ahead to let her know of the situation. The powerful tranquilizer that she administered sent him under fairly quickly. Denise made quick work of cleaning and disinfecting the wound. Michonne remained in the infirmary while Denise stitched his wound up with a continuous stitch that closed the wound nicely. It wasn't until Denise had bandaged his hand and Michonne saw that he was resting peacefully did she relinquish her post near his bedside.

Dinner in the mess hall that evening was loud and charged as everyone was talking about Rick's mishap. Some wondered if he would be able to use his gun and others openly played with the idea that Michonne somehow caused the accident. After a harsh retort from Abraham about folks chatting like a bunch of hens, the air in the hall lessened to a more pleasant mood.

Michonne didn't mind the gossip as she also blamed herself for the accident. She shouldn't have accepted the challenge. She only did it to wipe that smug look off of Rick's face. However, the moment he fell to his knees, and she saw the blood pulsing from his hand, she immediately felt liable and remorseful. She didn't knowingly distract him, but she did invade his personal space as she positioned his body in proper position for throwing. He did **say** that he knew what he was doing. So is it really her fault? Michonne sighed at the last thought. She knew it really wasn't, but she still felt a twinge of regret anyway.

Her tawny features began to relax as she started to lather herself under the heavy flow of hot water. She inhaled deeply, sucking in the hot steam and releasing slowly as the trials of the day flowed off her body and down into the drain.

Michonne closed her eyes letting her mind drift and take her away for a moment. She often did this when she needed to break up the looping burden of her mind. Sometimes an old forgotten song would play in her head, but tonight her mind had other plans. Tonight her mind had other plans. She closed her eyes and let it take its own meandering path as the steam rose around her and the water beat a soft massage onto her back.

Michonne found herself in an empty small bright room. No decorations or fancy furniture just a bare room. In front of her was Rick standing on the far side of the space. He was in his black button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up and dark faded jeans. It was the same outfit he'd had on earlier before it became covered in his blood. The top of the shirt was open, exposing small tufts of dark chest hair underneath. His stood there, hands on his hips in his usual lazy, sex gait and that disarming smirk on his face. She enjoyed his rugged features. She would catch glimpses of him whenever he strolled through the community. The power of his stride was one of a man who knew where he was going and what he needed to do. She didn't openly ogle him whenever she saw him, it was usually just a passing glance and that was all she needed to store away for later.

Yes, she found him attractive, but she would never let him know that. His cockiness tended to put a damper on his good looks whenever it popped up. The other women may fawn all over him but Michonne was not one of those women, but she could still appreciate his other fine qualities in private like tonight.

Since the day he helped adjust her gunbelt Michonne found herself thinking about the feel of his strong hands on her hips and her thighs. She remained calm during his unnecessary but thorough inspection, but later that night she replayed that moment as she massaged herself to completion. Tonight she would have the assistance of the detachable high-pressure shower head in the handicapped accessible shower stall. Michonne chose this one because it was the furthest away from the door, so it provided her the extra privacy she was needing. She opened her eyes to the drabness of the shower wall not letting the realization of her current not quite ideal location distract her from her goal. She removed the large stainless steel elongated nozzle from its base changing the setting from rainfall to a single steady stream. The water pelted her skin in hard spurts as the water rushed out which was just what she needed.

Michonne grasped the metallic shower rail in front of her for balance spreading her legs wide as the first pulsing bursts of water found their mark. The heat of the water mixed with the heat of her arousal igniting her core. She relaxed her leg muscles deepening her squat to a malasana pose exposing her full womanhood. Breathing deeply as she closed her eyes blocking out all other noise she was once again standing in front of Rick. He smiled as if he was happy to see that she had returned. The corners of his mouth softening the lines of worry that were commonplace across his forehead and emphasizing the deep furrowed crow's feet on the side of his eyes.

Michonne didn't want any words just action, and Rick Grimes was a man of action. His large hands tugged at the buttons on his shirt grasping at the fabric and ripping the buttons lose. The damaged cloth floated to the floor behind him landing in a crumpled mess. Michonne loved the thought of Rick being impatient to get to her and taking charge. Seeing him in action always made her delta pulse. Her clit thrummed as he unhooked the loop of his belt causing his jeans to sink down his waist under the weight of his gun belt. His defined Adonis belt accentuating his fit upper body. A low moan escaped Michonne lips as she repositioned the water stream over her now exposed pink clit. He strolled towards her unbuttoning the top of his jeans letting the full weight of his gun belt dragging the jeans to the floor. He stepped out of the pants, not missing a beat in his stride towards her. His electric blue eyes darkened like a torrential storm of lust.

He crashed his lips against hers. Michonne moaned at the forceful contact. His lips were firm but still so very soft. She gasped as his tongue probed for entrance into her mouth which she granted. Michonne breaths were coming out quickly as her orgasm swelled quickly from the help of her imagination and the powerful rush of water. The delicious rush of her orgasm ready to burst out.

"Chonne... you in here," called Sasha.

"Shit," she cursed under her breath as she stood up quickly spraying water against the shower wall. "Yeah," she said, trying to clear her throat as she returned the shower head to its cradle. She ran her hand along her aching labia and protruding clit. Defeated Michonne placed her head against the cool beige tile wall.


	5. Chapter 5

In this chapter **yellehughes** gives us hand to hand training. She's no amateur when it comes to this type of fighting in her stories and they always leave us on the edge of our seats. With everyone vying for a place on the Force, who will come out on top at the end of the day?

Be sure to check out her other works on her FF page.

 **-We're The Ones Who Write**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Size Does Matter**

After showers, morning drill, then breakfast, our crew found themselves standing shoulder to shoulder outside in the open grassy field. The warm rays of an early sunrise, slowly revealed their tired faces. The light fog and morning dew clung to their shoes and clothing.

Jesus paced back and forth, starting at the head of the line where Rick stood, then turned back when he reached Jerry at the end, "The past few days you all have only worked briefly together with me. Today and tomorrow, you're all mine. And, in that limited amount of time, I plan to show you a whole new world."

He stopped in front of Shane. "Just so you know, my name is actually Paul Rovia and only my friends call me that." He narrowed his eyes at the hotheaded man, "By the end of tomorrow's training, you will know what name to call me."

Each community member stood next to each other. Alexandria, The Hilltop and The Kingdom. Noah leaned over and whispered to Jerry, "I think I have just seen the heavens of glory," in reference to sun rising behind Paul's back and the foggy halo forming around his head.

Sasha and Abraham stood behind him with their arms folded staring down at the recruits. They were there to provide assistance and to be used as extra bodies.

At the head of the line, Rick, slightly recovered from spending the day in the infirmary and still nursing the hand he cut and then abused it some more when he botched choking the pipe. He wore his favorite blue button down shirt and the pair of jeans with a clearly visible hole in the left thigh. Trying to be slick he leaned back a little to seek out Michonne's location in the line and spotted her plump cheeks firstly. Her beautiful ass stuck out past the other women's less-meaty behinds.

Unfortunately, his attention was brought back to the front, when Jesus cleared his throat, "As Abraham has explained to you, I will be going over hand-to-hand combat, extensively. I will teach you to fight with skill, but also dirty. Out here in this world, you have to do whatever you can to save you and your fellow man's life."

Maggie elbowed Glenn, gently nudging him to pay more attention. They spent too much time in their hide-e-hole and her little man over-exerted himself and was plum tired. Glenn hurriedly stood straight, ran a hand down his face and shook his head to try and wake himself up.

Tara worried her finger and shook her leg impatiently. Rosita leaned over, "I swear to god, Tara. If you don't take your ass to that infirmary and tell Denise you want to hook up, I will drag you over there myself."

The community where they were training was void of its occupants with it being too early for work to get started.

Paul shook his head at the recruits grumbling. Soon, he'd give them something to really complain about. "I've watched all of you these past four days and some of you are good and some of you are really good, but _all_ of you need to learn control and how to take advantage in any situation. You will discover that out here, size does not matter…"

Shane nearly choked from Paul's phrasing and snickered, "Ask any woman and she'll tell you that ain't true."

Sasha scoffed loudly and rolled her eyes, which Shane caught and looked down at the ground in embarrassment. It bothered him that Sasha of all people didn't find his joke funny.

"…when you find yourself without a weapon," Paul finished while giving Shane a disapproving look. "You, as the ZA'a Elite Force must be proficient in all things. Not only will you be protecting your community from the dead, you will also have to deal with the living. One wrong move or mistake, could be the last thing you do."

Each of the recruits turned to the other and the thought of losing one another changed quite a few mindsets. Rick's thoughts were on Michonne and whatever issues they had, was nothing compared to what they could have in the future.

Their instructor removed his long, leather trench coat to reveal a sleeveless vest and crisscross utility belt, "I want you all spread out. My assistants will match you up with your sparring partner for today and tomorrow. The field is ours and I want you to take as much room as you need. Because you will be getting your asses kicked today." He nodded to Abraham and Sasha, who then pointed to each person to go to a certain spot.

Abraham nodded to Jerry, then to Tara. Noah against Glenn. Andrea against Maggie. Abe pointed to Rosita and had her move over to his side, Sasha pointed at Shane and they both gestured to Rick and Michonne to partner up.

Shane was the first to complain, "What the fuck? You can't have me beat up on a woman. How is that fuckn' fair?"

Tara whined, "You have me fighting Jerry? He's huge! All he'd have to do is blow on me and I'm dead." She gave him a smile of apology, "No offense, Jerry. You're just a loveable bear that happens to be strong as hell."

A huge grin spread across Jerry's face, "It's okay, dude. No offense taken. I really would hate to have to thrash you."

Though this was serious business, everyone couldn't help but break out in laughter at the picture of their sweet Jerry tossing poor Tara back and forth and bashing her on the ground.

Even Jesus had to chuckle, "Alright now, back to business. Remember, I said… size doesn't matter. Tara, don't worry, pretty soon you will be the one thrashing Jerry," he addressed the rest of the group, "Now that you have your sparring partners, first thing we are going to do is stretch. Out in the field and in the middle of a war, this is something you won't be able to do, but for now, you have to get your bodies ready. There will be no time later."

Paul raised his hands up in the air as if reaching for the sky, then bent forward to touch his toes. Michonne, still frustrated from missing out on a glorious orgasm last night, followed his movements by folding her body till she reached her toes, her hands lay flat against the ground. Rick stood there mesmerized at how flexible she was. Her breasts pressed flat against her knees, how relaxed she looked with no hint of straining. His eyes followed the lining of her back and then over the curve of her ass down her thick, muscled thighs, then his gaze made the trip around again.

He didn't realize how much time he spent studying her until she turned her head and tsked at him to get his attention. "Will you quit staring at me." She whispered loudly, "Stretch like Jesus said because I'm about to kick your ass."

That shook him out of his stupor, "Oh, so you're going to beat me?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, we'll see about that, Ms. Katana. You may be lethal with a sword, but you won't be when you catch these hands." Rick leaned down to stretch out the muscles of his legs and arms. Paul had changed his position and the rest followed with less grumbling. "So, you won't get mad if I accidently hurt you?"

Michonne's voice sounded strained as she raised her arms and leaned over to the right, "Rick, if you hold back then I will cut you. This is supposed to help save our lives and I don't want anyone that won't give me one hundred percent, cause that's what I will give him."

"Wait…" he stopped what he was doing and faced her, "Are we talking about something else here?"

She bent down at the knees, "What do you think?"

"I'd say, you're looking for a partner and not just one to fight with."

"I'd say you're right. Think you can handle it?"

"Oh, I know I can." He replied smugly.

Michonne lay flat on her back and began raising her knees doing stomach crunches, "We'll see tonight. And you can't back out after I kick your ass today."

"I don't mind you kicking my ass because tonight, I'll be kissing yours."

Michonne stumbled when she tried to get up on her feet.

"Having a little problem standing up there, darling?"

"Shut up, Rick." She chuckled.

"I know you don't expect me to try and hit you. Don't know if I could really hurt you," Shane was still trying to find a way out of sparring with Sasha. She was several feet shorter than he, and a whole lot smaller. He could have handled fighting Andrea before Sash. He just couldn't find it in him to raise a hand to her. "let me fight someone else more my size."

Sasha walked around Shane, eyeing him up and down. "What if I told you that you couldn't hurt me even if you tried."

"Come on girl, I would have you so hemmed up so fast." He pantomimed putting Sasha in a headlock.

Andrea quietly stretched her muscles has she listened on Shane talking to Sasha. "You think I should be worried that my man is talking to another woman? I thought she had a thing for Abraham?"

Maggie, bending at the waist, took a gander at what Andrea was talking about. She always liked Sasha. After losing her brother and her boyfriend, she was a woman who didn't play any games. She was a great warrior and a friend. As far as Andrea, she flirted with anything that had a dick, constantly berating Shane for things she did herself and frankly, she was too damn selfish and always put herself first. Sasha was beautiful, inside and out and she would take a bullet for anyone she loved.

After thinking deeply on the matter, Maggie thought Andrea didn't really want advice from her and she didn't want to get in the middle of her messiness. She gave the only answer to stay out of it, "No."

Paul waved his hands to get everyone's attention, "Listen up. The first maneuver we're going to work with is defense. The taller partner will try and stave off an attack and keep the other from pulling you down to the ground. Tara that means you have to knock Jerry on his ass. Use whatever method you want, as long as you don't use a physical weapon. Got it? Go!"

Noah immediately grabbed a still exhausted Glenn around the neck and easily pulled him down.

Rosita wasted no time in kicking Abe in the gonads and then punched him in the face. He grabbed his sore nuts and fell to his knees grimacing loudly.

Maggie, the taller of the two, simply pushed Andrea out of the way when she came for her.

Tara, unfortunately, thought it was a good idea to wrap herself around Jerry's leg, in the hopes he would trip and fall. Jerry just walked over to Paul and shrugged.

Shane, still complaining with his hands spread out, warned Sasha it wasn't going to work.

Sasha surprised him by running toward him and when it seemed she was going to crash into him…she kept going. She simply ran up Shane's front, wrapped her legs around his neck and swung her body as she tightened her thighs. Swinging in a downward ark, she kept her face from crashing into the dirt by putting her hands out and poor Shane, his neck still strangled by her thighs was whipped into the air to land in a crumpled heap by her side.

He yelped, "Shit!"

Everyone stopped and gasped at Sasha's ninja-like move then gave an applause that she brought the much larger and taller Shane down.

Sasha stood there with her hands on her hips, her breathing barely strained, "Wanna try again, Shane?"

He raised up on his elbow and stared at Sasha with his eyebrow cocked. He smiled, "I think you made your point. But I still ain't gonna hit you."

Shane thought to himself, ' _Anyone but you.'_

When that was done, they all turned to watch what Michonne would do.

Instead of swinging to punch, she grabbed Rick by both of his shoulders. Rick reciprocated and they both grappled by pushing each other back and forth.

Though he enjoyed this little wrestling move she was trying to pull, he had to tell her, "Whatever you're trying to do Michonne… it won't work."

Rick didn't realize but Michonne was using this method so that when Rick pushed back, she would use his forward momentum to pull him toward her, only to fall beneath him, then placing her foot on his stomach to project him overhead.

Instead of letting him go, she rolled with him as his back landed in the dirt. With her two hands, she slammed his shoulders back on the ground as he tried to get up.

"Ah, ah, ah…you ain't goin' nowhere, son." Michonne's smiling grin brightening up her entire presence.

When Rick cocked his head at her and squinted, she hopped to her feet and held out her hand to help him up. "Wanna try again?"

"Okay, you caught me off guard with that one. Yeah… let's do this again. Bet you won't pin me next time round. This time, I won't hold back." Rick dusted off his shirt and his jeans and rolled his shoulders to prepare to slam his woman.

Michonne swept her twists behind her before giving him a 'come hither' waggle of her fingers, "Come on, pretty boy."

Feeling a slight jump in his stomach and his breathing became a little choppy, Rick refused to admit that Michonne calling him 'pretty boy' made him feel a little bit giddy.

He had a plan for her.

They stood facing each other and once again they both clasped shoulders, as if they were about to wrestle. When he clamped a tight hold on her and tried to pull her close, Michonne twisted and thrust out her hip and forced Rick to flip over, landing on his back once again. This time when she sat on his waist, he quickly turned the tables, rolled her over, and ended up laying heavily between her thighs.

Michonne's knees were bent and Rick put pressure on her crotch. He thrust a few times as she struggled to get away from him. His bluer than blue eyes staring down at her intensely. She ceased moving when she felt the hardening circumference of his cock pressing onto her. Her eyes widened in surprise and took an involuntary sharp breath as a shot of arousal spread through her nether regions.

"Feel that, Michonne? I told you, I won't hold back."

To the others observing, it looked as if the two were still struggling for dominance and not actually having sex with their clothes on.

Paul interrupted, "Alright, you two. Get up. Looks like it's a tie." He turned to Tara still clinging to Jerry's leg, "Tara, holding on to someone's leg like that will get you killed. Let him go."

When Tara stood up he continued, "What you should have done was kick him in the back of the knee." Paul faced Jerry, then all of a sudden, he took a quick step to Jerry's side and swiftly cracked him in the back of his leg, startling a crying out Jerry into falling with the surprise hit.

Paul helped him back to his feet and spoke to everyone, "When you are facing someone bigger than you, don't be afraid. The old saying, ' _The bigger they are, the harder they fall'_ is all true. You just have make sure you get as far away as possible if they're not dead."

After the demonstration, he turned to his trainees, "Again!"

 _ **Several hours later…**_

It was a tough day for everyone. Battered and beaten, a few sported a couple of bruises. Jesus had put them all through the ringer.

When Jesus told Tara to fight dirty, she listened. Following the actions that Sasha took, she ran up Jerry's body. Because she wasn't as athletic as Sasha, she grabbed Jerry's long hair instead and pulled him down. Jerry screamed when Tara nearly tore his hair out. She immediately let him go and fussily apologized to him. Tara had a real reason to visit Denise, in her attempt to take down Jerry, she pulled a hamstring.

Maggie busted Andrea in the eye while she had to ice a large welt on her abdomen from the woman's vicious kick.

Glenn finally awakened fully when Noah punched him, and Glenn retaliated by locking Noah's arms behind him and slamming him face-first onto the ground.

They all sat in the mess hall, groaning and complaining.

Rosita held an ice pack to her shoulder, while Abraham held one against his balls.

Sasha stood by the counter rubbing her ass from Shane smacking her there, while Shane looked on with a damp cloth held to his split lip.

Rick sat quietly looking at his bandaged hand, courtesy of him throwing a punch at Michonne. He totally missed when she quickly stepped out of the way and a tree stood in her place. Now both hands were damaged.

Meanwhile, Michonne had to change out of her pants because Rick had grabbed her by the leg and dragged her across the field. The seat of her jeans had been rubbed away. Luckily, the skin on her butt didn't go with it.

She thought back to what happened after that:

 _Rick had finally let her leg go when they were far enough away from the others._

 _Michonne's voice was hoarse after yelling so much at him for being dragged, "Rick, you're gonna pay for that."_

 _The man had the nerve to stare down at her smugly with his hands on his hips, his brow sweaty and his curls fell over his forehead, "I know I'm gonna pay. I'm lookin' forward to it."_

"You didn't have to drag me, Rick," she growled at him from across the table.

Rick rested his injured hand on the table and leaned toward her, "Hey, Jesus said do what you gotta do. You were so slippery, I couldn't get a lick in, so I did what I had to do."

The rest of the crew were too tired and too hurt to stay in the mess hall for long. They needed to get some rest because they were going to continue the same thing tomorrow and that's when the top performing recruits would be chosen for the ZA's Elite Force.

No one paid attention to Rick and Michonne sitting there arguing. And those two never noticed everyone leaving.

"My ass hurts, Rick," Michonne almost whined.

"Hold on, weren't you the one that said that if I didn't give one hundred percent, you wouldn't have respect for me?"

"I didn't mean drag me across the field on my ass."

"Oh, poor baby. You said I was gonna pay for it. Let me pay now."

"What are you talkin' about?"

He stood and walked around the table and held out his hand, "Come on. I'll show you."

Curious, Michonne groaned a bit a she stood. She turned to follow him out to the hallway, figuring he was going to do something nice like giving her that Big Cat chocolate bar she saw him sneak out of the commissary yesterday. Her mouth began to water with the thought of biting into thick, gooey, chocolatey goodness after the fucked-up day she had. ' _He's still gonna have to make up for my sore ass.'_

With her mind on indulging in sweetness, she didn't notice that Rick was not heading for the door. Suddenly, her hand was yanked from behind. Rick had stopped at the cashier counter rolling metal window shutters, which were shut and locked for the night.

He dragged her into his arms and cut off her surprised yelp by clamping his lips onto hers.

Though he pulled her roughly, his right hand cupped her ass softly and his left weaved its way into the locs of her hair as he controlled the kiss.

Michonne's eyes closed automatically as soon as his tongue slipped inside to swirl around hers. She snatched her face away; brown eyes bore into blue. His eyelids were closed half way and his pupils were dilated. Her gaze darted from one side to the other, questioning what he was doing without having to say a word.

He knew why but he had a question of his own, "Can I have you, Michonne?" His palm never stopped caressing her as he waited for her answer.

"We shouldn't be doing this, Rick. Soldiers are not supposed to fraternize with each other."

"I don't care. This is the ZA, and one thing I've learned, is that in this world, you only get one shot. I've wanted you ever since I saw you in the Kingdom, but I was too hardheaded to understand what I was feeling. Spending this time with you told me you are my shot."

Michonne gave him a smile that lit up the entire mess hall.

"And if they don't like it… we'll just take over this place."

Michonne leaned away from him and gave him a serious glare, "I know you're not talking about killing people."

Rick chuckled, "No, I wouldn't, unless they tried to hurt you. Jesus asked me if I wanted to lead the Elite Force. I didn't want that. I told him I would only do it as long as you co-lead with me. You're the best fighter here. Hell, even better than me, except you can't shoot for shit."

She scoffed at his insult.

He grinned, "Well, I kinda suck at knives…" his face turned serious, "but the two of us, you and me, leading this crew together… I'd want that. If it's something you wanted."

She took only a few seconds to think about it. Wrapping her hands around his shoulders to smooth her hands up into his curls at the back of his head, she breathed softly before gently placing her lips against his, "Yeah…"

His placed both hands on her bottom and squeezed as she took control of the kiss this time. He moaned quietly as she pressed her body firmly against his. The small cafeteria was empty, and he gave a brief thought about someone coming in.

Michonne's warning nagged at him.

He ran his tongue along the ridge of her teeth as he breathed in her earthy scent with an underlying of something sweet. He slipped his fingers in the loose waistband of her borrowed sweatpants.

Thank god he didn't have to deal with the tight ones she had on earlier. He smoothed his hands down her softness and sighed in relief to finally be able to touch her so intimately. Raising, he grasped her by the tiny waist and turned her around. He picked her up effortlessly and set her on the counter, without releasing her lips.

He let her go and ran his mouth down her graceful neck as she massaged the muscles of his shoulders and back. Taking a deep breath, Rick reluctantly pulled away, "I don't care if anyone knows about us, but we can't stay here. Someone could walk in or T-Dog might come back to start cookin' or something. We can't go back to my place, Jerry's a light sleeper."

Michonne ran her thumb along his brow, "We can go back to my room after. Maggie hasn't slept there since the night before. Her and Glenn have some secret place."

Rick made to stand back, so they could go to her room, but she snatched him back, "Where do you think you're going? I said, ' _after'_. You are not going to get me all worked up like this and then stop."

Before Rick could protest, Michonne reached out and ripped his shirt open.

Buttons flew and hit the ground, "Chonne, that's my favorite shirt!"

"So, I'll sew them back on." She peeled off her v-neck tank top, wrapped and locked her legs around his waist, pulling him closer. "Quit wasting time, Rick." She leaned forward and blew her warm breath in his ear, "Fuck me, Rick. You're not getting away from me until you do." Then she licked his lobe.

Rick shuddered at the sound of her deepened, sexy voice, her tongue on his ear, and the feel of her heat between her thighs.

"Oh, damn. You are mine, Michonne." He pulled her closer, molding his bare chest against hers as well as his lips. Breathing heavily, he snatched off his ruined shirt and maneuvered her body to pull her pants down.

Michonne leaned back as he removed the loose-fitting pair and watched Rick's eyes glow as he took in her body.

He didn't have a lot of time, someone could walk in at any moment, so he hurriedly unbuckled his belt, dropped his jeans and fisted himself as he bent to slide a slow lick between Michonne's wet lips of her pussy. She widened her legs as she followed the path of his tongue gliding wetly along her slit to briefly suck on her clit.

She let out a soft gasp, "Oh, shit…Rick. That's um… uh…,' she grabbed the curls in the back of his head as her hips began to gyrate to his rhythm.

Rick lifted and opened her thighs wider as his tongue tunneled in deeper into her channel, delighting in her taste and wonderment that he finally was able to get his hands and mouth on her and she wasn't trying to kill him. He waggled his tongue rapidly as he used the tip of his nose to consistently bump her hardened pearl to help speed along her upcoming orgasm.

He wasn't going to stop until he got it, even if Jesus walked in.

Michonne's taste, her womanly scent and the mewling sound she made was making his dick harder. He felt her walls tightening around his tongue and he knew it wouldn't be long before she gave him what he wanted. Her thighs began to tremble as he opened her thighs wider. He tunneled into her hole, then pulled back to flick his tip on her clit at a wicked pace. His girl became louder and louder and neither worried about witnesses.

Fortunately, the entire crew was too tired to even care about wandering about, except one.

She didn't care how close Michonne and Rick had gotten over the past few days. At first, it seemed they wouldn't become friends. She had set her eyes on snagging Rick for herself, because her trusty 'go-to' has become enamored with the woman that could kick his ass.

Standing here now, watching these two between the crack of the door was pissing her off. Not just because she lost out on an opportunity to grab the next leader of Elite Force, she was missing out on a man who knows what to do with his mouth. He was tearing Michonne's ass up and she was loving it.

"They are so hot together," Andrea whispered to herself. "Fuck her, she won't get to keep him." Reluctantly turning away from the door, Andrea made her way back to bed. She tried to find Shane earlier, but he wasn't anywhere to be found. After getting in bed and pulling the covers over her shoulder, she snickered, "Just wait till Jesus hears about this."

With her plan set, she turned off the light, and missed Rosita and Tara look at each other and shake their heads in pity.

Michonne clamped a hand over her mouth trying to contain the howl as she came. Her thighs spread wider and curled her toes as the electrifying ecstasy flowed through her body. When spent, her legs collapsed on Rick's shoulders.

He continued to lick her folds as she came down. As she settled down, he pulled her off the counter to stare into her eyes. His gaze was intense, and it took a few seconds for Michonne to focus. She placed her palms along his beard and pulled him down for a kiss.

Before she could lose herself in his warmth, Rick pushed her back slightly and spun her around, forcing her to bend over the counter.

Rick swept her hair to the side, "I told you, baby. Ain't no holding back," he whispered close to her ear. He used his foot to nudge her legs wider and pulled her ass cheeks apart. Grabbing hold of his rod, he swiped her slit several times with his bulbous head before pushing firmly inside.

Michonne groaned loudly as he filled her.

"That's it… you like how my dick is filling you? God…baby, that pussy is so tight." He pulled out until only the tip remained. "Remember what I said," he spoke breathlessly as he replaced her hand with his own over her mouth, "from now on, it's you and me." He dipped his finger inside to moisten the tip then ran it across her lips.

"Michonne," he called to get her attention.

She snatched her mouth away from his tantalizing hand, "Uhm?"

"You ready?"

"Uh, whaaaa…."

She didn't get a chance to ask ' _ready for what'_ when Rick pulled his hand away and put both of them on her hips, bent his knees slightly and began a rapid and rigorous pace. He drilled her so firmly, Michonne gripped the other side of the counter.

"Riiiiiick!" She practically screamed.

Sweat gleamed and glistened down the flexing muscles of her back, hypnotizing Rick as he lost himself plunging into Michonne's hot and juicy pussy. As he tunneled within, her vibrating walls closed around his width tightly which made his eye cross from how good it felt.

The flapping of skin against skin echoed throughout the room. Rick grunted with effort, raising Michonne to place her back against his chest. As he continued to pump, he grabbed her breasts and squeezed as his time was coming, "Oh, god, I'm 'bout to cum!"

He hit her with deep jabs as she pushed back. When his orgasm hit, he hurriedly pulled out and pumped his white creamy semen on the upper rounded curve if Michonne's beautiful ass. She fell forward exhausted to rest on the counter as Rick's member continued to jerk and spurt.

He lay across her back as his softening cock rested between her cheeks, "I don't think I can move, Michonne. We might have to stay like this the rest of the night."

Michonne chuckled as she tried to catch her breath. "Then they'd really kick us out if they found us like this."

While recuperating, Rick's hands kept busy, rubbing her abdomen and patting her pussy. Michonne sighed, "If you don't quit that, we'll never get out of here. Come on, my room is free, and I need to get some sleep. We got a big day tomorrow and I'm going to kick your ass again."

Rick stood straight and grabbed her pants off the counter where he threw them. Turned her around again and gave her a quick kiss, "Yes, Ma'am."

He reached down and pulled his pants back up. Before fastening them, he grabbed her hand and wrapped her palm around his once again hardening cock, "Just so you know… you're not goin' to sleep just yet."


	6. Chapter 6

We've come to the last day of training with chapter 6 where we find out who made the Elite Force. **yellehughes** is back to close out this story with more of her exciting writing that will have us laughing, rooting for the our favorites and wishing this never had to end.

Be sure to check out her other works on her FF page.

 **-We're The Ones Who Write**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Completion Day**

A still exhausted Michonne lay on her side and opened her eyes when the bright sun filtered through the blinds. Today was the last day for hand to hand combat training and who would be chosen to join the force. It didn't take her long to realize that an arm was slung over her waist, a leg was tangled between hers and a soft snoring sounded in her ear. Without moving anything else, she turned her head and encountered tousled, curly hair and a face buried into the pillow, close to her neck.

She knew it was around 4 am by the setting of early dawn and that meant that if they don't get up, get ready, they would be late for roll call.

"Shit."

She nudged Rick in his chest, "Rick… Rick. Wake up. We're late. We gotta go."

She turned her body towards him and her ass rubbed against his morning wood. A shot of desire flooded through her as she lifted her thigh and pushed back a little with her hips, allowing his member to slip in between. Her pussy began to throb and grow wet.

"Just a little before we have to go," she whispered to herself. Michonne reached back and got a hold of his hair, tangling her fingers through his curls, the other, she lowered her hand to seek his cock lying between her thighs, wrapped her palm around the width of him and rubbed the hardened, mushroom tip along her dripping labia.

With one thrust backwards, she got him to enter from behind, dragging in a sharp breath, Michonne pushed back slowly until she was filled. The stretching of her walls so early in the morning was so intoxicating that she had to hold still for a few moments to savor the feeling of fullness.

Rick woke slowly to the feel of his cock enveloped in wet, heated warmth. "Michonne…" he moaned and thrust forward. He didn't have to think long about what was happening. He was getting a early morning fuck and had no time to waste. He grabbed a hold of her thigh and raised it higher as he pulled out then pushed back in. His arm underneath reached up and palmed her firm breast and he lightly pinched her hard nipple.

They didn't speak. They just enjoyed the impact of their bodies coming together, the rustling of the sheets, the increasingly harsh sounds of their breathing.

Rick bent his knee and dug his toes down into the mattress to switch his angle of entry and seek out another of her sweet spots. He let go of her breast to slide his fingers over her clit and palmed her there. One finger tapping in beat with his increasing momentum.

The high pitch of her moans and tightening around his dick signaled she was about to blow. He raised her thigh higher and sped up the pace, "Come on, Chonne… give to me. I can feel it, right there. Cum on this dick!" He let go of her leg and took hold of her chin, directing her mouth to his.

The rickety bed that they were laying on banged against the wall, but he couldn't stop. Her juices soaked them both and slid down the front of his thighs. The noise it made ramped up their sexual aggression as he pounded hard. When Michonne reached her peak, she nearly clamped his dick off and he had to lock down on her mouth to muffle her scream.

Of course, Rick and Michonne found themselves late for their last day of training. If one could call it that. It came as no surprise to anyone that the two strongest of their group hooked up. Their missing in action would have gone on unspoken except for a certain troublemaker in their midst.

When Andrea entered the open field where their training was taking place early that morning, she head straight for Jesus, Abraham and Sasha where they stood in conference, discussing what was going to take place today.

The rest of the recruits watched her about to make an ass of herself. Shane, in particular, had an inkling on what she was about to tell the trainers and he'd had enough of her shenanigans. He wasn't an angel himself, but these last few days had opened his eyes that he needed to start taking his life seriously and stop playing like it didn't matter anymore.

It was time for him to go for what he wanted and what he needed. Sasha showed him that. Even if they didn't get together, he had a completely new mindset and Andrea was toxic. He saw how she was sniffing after Rick. He may not have known the man very well, but he knew Rick was stuck on Michonne and she on Rick, the minute they laid eyes on each other. Even if they didn't act like it.

Knowing Andrea the way he did, she was about to try and put a wrench in Rick and Michonne's relationship and he's gonna have to fess up and possibly mess up his own chance with Sasha, in order to get Andrea to stop.

Just then, the aforementioned couple showed up and walked hand in hand over to the rest of the recruits. When they reached them, Rick and Michonne dropped their clasp and Rick asked, "Morning everyone. What's going on?"

He gestured over to where Andrea spoke in a low tone to their trainers. They all watched as Andrea looked back when she spotted the couple staring at her point blank. Her eyes widened with guilt.

Jesus, Sasha and Abe kept their expressions blank as they listened to Andrea tell her tale. When finished they came over to the rest of the group. Andrea hung back behind them as if that would save her.

Jesus spoke first, "It has come to our attention that some of the recruits have been extra social with each other and as you all know, we have a rule against that and it's very frowned upon. He gave a pointed look toward Rick and Michonne, though he never looked directly at them.

"From what we've learned, this may affect your eligibility on the force."

Michonne asked, "So, what does this mean, Jesus?"

He began to speak, "I mean…"

He was interrupted by Andrea peeking out from behind him. "I saw you two fucking in the mess hall last night and that means you are both out of the program." She hid back behind him.

Everyone turned to the woman in disbelief.

Shane, while facing Jesus, directed his comments to Andrea. He was afraid to see how Sasha was going to take what he had to say. "Andrea, if Rick and Michonne have to go, then you might as well kick your own self out. Did you forget I fucked you in the closet the first day here?" That's when he braced himself to look at Sasha. "I was dumb and didn't think. I've been messin' up a long time and I've been lucky to live through it. I know you don't believe me, but I'm hopin' you'll give me a chance to get to know you and you know me."

He glanced around at everyone staring at him, when he turned back, Sasha had a slight smile on her face. "I can be an asshole and a ho. I ain't tryin' to be like that anymore." He gestured for Jesus to move out of the way, so he could say it to Andrea's face. You and I have known each other a long time, and we both didn't do right, but I'm tryin' to do right now. I can't be with you anymore. If my life is gonna mean something, it can't be hangin' with you."

To Jesus he pleaded, "Rick and Michonne don't deserve to be kicked out. They are your best warriors and have earned their place even if they broke one of your rules. Hell, we all should be kicked out, but didn't you say, in this world you gotta do whatever you gotta do to survive?"

Jesus nodded and so did the rest of the group.

Shane waved his hand and shrugged his shoulders, "Okay, then why does having sex with the one you wanna be with such a big deal? We may not live tomorrow. Why would you wanna take that away from anybody?"

Michonne and Rick smiled to one another and clasped hands again.

Glenn placed and arm around Maggie's shoulders.

Rosita hugged Abraham around his middle.

Noah stared up into the trees that surrounded the wide-open field.

Tara moved to hug Jerry, but he used his finger on her forehead to push her back, "Dude, I like you, just not like that."

Tara gave an embarrassed nod and placed her hands behind her back and faced Jesus again.

Andrea had been steaming over Shane's ' _Dear John'_ speech and her anger finally spilled over, "Fine! We all broke your rule so that means we all get kicked out." She pointed to Richonne, "As long as they're gone, I don't care!"

As the last of her last words echoed into nothingness, a rolling rumble and low pitch whispering growls began to grow louder and louder. They all turned towards the outlying trees to see hundreds of the dead shuffle a slow path to the group.

Before panic could grip them, Rick took charge. "Rosita, Sasha, Noah and Tara… get your sniper rifles and get to the top of the fence. Spread out along the walls. We need the cover from above. Hold back on firing rapidly. Conserve your ammo."

He told Abe, Andrea, "Cover the right and make sure you take a few cartridges. Maggie, Glenn… take the left. Michonne, Jesus, Jerry and I will take them head on."

Michonne and Jesus already started taking down the walkers, while Jerry ran to the weapons table and picked up a two-sided ax, then joined the battle.

Rick pointed to Shane, "Shane cover Glenn and Maggie. There's more on their side. Make sure the walkers don't flank us.

"Headshots only!" He yelled as he ran up to join where Michonne, Jesus and Jerry were fighting, giving each person enough room to do what they do best:

Michonne swinging her katana.

Jerry wielding his battleax.

Jesus, kicking and decapitating soft, mushy skulls or stabbing them in the base of their necks.

Without questioning his orders, everyone moved to do what Rick said.

Shane, unknowingly planted himself right below where Sasha posted at the top of the fenced gate. Their respective rifles braced on the shoulder, right eye concentrating and focused through the scope, finger on the trigger as each precisely aimed and shot at the same time.

For some odd reason Andrea thought Abe was handling their side just fine and that Rick needed her help as backup. Side-stepping slowly, she kept her eyes on the walkers as she pulled the trigger, hitting them square in the face. While her accuracy was spot on, she made the mistake of not watching the ground and a crawler was able to get close enough to reach out and grab her ankle, causing her to trip.

With a surprised yell, Andrea fell to the ground, the jolt knocking the gun out her hand. Since the walker had a hold of her legs, trying to bite her, she couldn't reach her weapon in the back of her pants.

Trying to kick off the one, gave time for a second to crawl its way toward her. Everyone else was busy trying to stave off the horde and their incessant moans drowned out Andrea's cry for help. When the other was close enough to grab her, Andrea felt this was it, she was going to die. The walkers would have enough time to get a bite out of her before anyone could come save her.

Right when she gave up, she heard two swishes of metal slice through the air.

The upper half of two walker heads, dripping with dark blood, splashed across her thighs and standing above her flicking that black matter from her katana, was Michonne.

Once she cleared the thick, pulpy mess from her sword, she held her hand out to Andrea to help her off the ground. With narrowed eyes and her lips trembling with anger, she quickly spoke "Next time, keep your ass where you are supposed to be."

Without another word, she ran back to the frontline.

Rick kept focus on cutting down the walkers in front of him, but he also kept note on Michonne's whereabouts. He couldn't feel prouder when he saw her notice Andrea's plight and didn't think twice to go and rescue her, even after she tried to get them both kicked out.

The recruits of the Elite Force finally began making a dent in the wall of walkers that invaded their community. It was fortunate they were training in the right field at the right time. If it wasn't for them, the small village would have been decimated. Once the numbers were down to a manageable level, several residents came out to assist and get rid of the rest, giving Rick, Michonne and the others a much need respite.

The snipers came down from the top of the fence and joined those on the ground.

After a brief meeting, the trainers walked over to the tired group, with Andrea standing off to the side. Jesus addressed them, "Excellent work out there. This community would have been destroyed if it hadn't been for all of you. We had discussed this with our leader before and after seeing what happened here today, the decision has been made." He looked to where Rick sat in the grass with Michonne sitting next to him. "I'm sure there will be no argument, but we have decided that Rick shall lead Elite Force with Michonne as his second."

Everyone turned to the exhausted couple. Jesus continued. "Sasha, Abraham and I, will be working alongside you. You are the first wave and it will be up to us to bring in more recruits to battle the dead and the living."

Sasha took over, "From what we've seen here today, all of you have been accepted." She turned to Shane, "As for that ' _one'_ rule, you're right Shane. I would gladly get to know you better."

Andrea's head dropped. She had nothing more to say.

As the rest dispersed to help with clean up, Rick and Michonne stayed behind. He took a hold of her hand when she asked, "Training's over. We are Elite Force. Where do we go from here?"

Even though their hands were filthy with blood and gore, Rick raised her palm and gently placed his lips on the front of her wrist. "Well, from what Jesus told me, we are transferring to a centralized location that had been abandoned awhile ago. They called it The Sanctuary." He looked around at his people picking up carcasses, placing them on wheelbarrows and moving them away from the fence, "Now that that stupid rule is gone, we won't have to sneak. When we move in, I want to stay with you."

He peered deep into her eyes, "I'll follow you wherever you go. If you'll have me."

Michonne reached up and pushed his sweaty curls back from his forehead, "After watching you fight in the field and after what we did last night, I'd be stupid not to keep you."


End file.
